Teamwork pays off with a trophy for the Tidland family

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Sep. 16, 2008
By Dave Lagarde, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent

To properly tell Chris Tidland's story, the subject of golf should be ignored in the lead in order to get to the heart of the matter.

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Chris Tidland kisses his first trophy at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft.

Actually, in the Tidland tale it is two hearts. One is his. The other belongs to his wife Amy. They absolutely beat as one, forming Team Tidland.

And anyone who doubts that the Tidlands aren't in this golf thing together has never met the girl next door from Torrance, Calif., where the Tidlands grew up. That, of course, would be Amy Bell.

The Tidlands attended the same grammar school, junior high and high school where they finally became a couple. Chris, the accomplished golfer, earned a scholarship to collegiate power Oklahoma State, while Amy matriculated at UC Berkeley and Cal State Fullerton. The separation lasted all of four semesters before Amy landed in Stillwater, Okla., where she was reunited with Chris.

That means Amy has been there with Chris throughout his career, save for 1993 when he was named Big Eight player of the year. She was there when he twice was named a first-team All American. And she was there when he finished second in the individual competition in the 1995 NCAA Championship, a result that helped the Cowboys win the team title, heretofore Chris' biggest thrill in golf.

Amy Tidland is still there, minding the Tidlands' two bundles of joy, Jackson, 8, and Bella, 6, in their home in Stillwater, while Chris doggedly chases his dream.

"Amy's obviously a big part of what I do,'' Chris said, offering high praise where high praise certainly is due. "She's my biggest supporter.''

That often comes with the territory with professional golf wives. Amy Tidland is no different. She has watched her husband struggle through nine pedestrian seasons on the Nationwide Tour and two stints on the PGA TOUR, where he did not perform well enough to retain his playing privileges. She has yet to blink.

"I knew what I was getting into,'' Amy said matter of factly Sunday evening. "We have an agreement.''

It involves the word 'quit.' Should Chris ever utter it pertaining to the grind that is professional golf, Amy will put her foot down and insist he get a job in the real world.

Not to worry, Tidland said. It isn't in his golf vocabulary.

"Golf is my passion,'' he said. "I love it. I've never once said I don't want to play any more [notice there was no 'quit' there?]. My wife has never put pressure on me. Golf is what I do.''

OK, now that that important portion of the Tidland story has been told, here's where it takes the interesting, serendipitous twist. Chris naturally sees Amy as his good luck charm, but it appeared she had run out of magic Thursday and Friday of the week before last when she joined her husband for the Utah Championship.

Tidland said he "played lousy'' which led to a missed cut, something that can transform Tidland into a grump. That's when Amy did her thing. The couple was in a beautiful place. Chris practiced for a while, and then they enjoyed the wonderful natural surroundings in the Wasatch Mountain range.

"Amy wouldn't let me get in a bad mood even though I hit about three good shots in 36 holes,'' Chris said. "She kept me going, and so I came into this week with a nice frame of mind.''

'This week' was last week at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by First Health. It was start No. 192 for Tidland, whose best finishes in those prior events was four seconds. Tidland came in with a "nice frame of mind,'' but no expectations.

"If you had told me last week that I was going to win this week, I would have thought you were crazy,'' Tidland said.

Well, something crazy happened. Tidland won -- going away. He started the final round tied with Bill Lunde but closed with a 7-under 64 that led to a four-stroke victory over Scott Piercy, who matched the Hillcrest Country Club course record of 61 in the last round.

"I picked a good one to win,'' Tidland said.

The Boise Open boasts a purse of $725,000, the sixth richest in the Regular Season. Tidland's first-place check of $130,500 allowed him to leap 70 places up the money list to 16th among 'THE 25' with earnings of $194,480, meaning he is excruciatingly close to nailing down a third trip to The Big Show.

"But,'' Amy said, displaying her understanding of how all things financial work on the Nationwide Tour, "he doesn't want to finish 25th. That would mean he might not get into a lot of events.''

Tidland hopes to take care of that unfinished business in the final four events of the Regular Season and the Nationwide Tour Championship. If nothing else, the victory means Tidland will have a place to play next year even if he doesn't make another cent, and he'll also be exempted into the final stage of the 2009 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament if such a step is necessary.

Tidland also will finally have the opportunity to answer one particular question in the affirmative.

"My kids always say, 'Have you ever won a trophy?' '' Chris said.

So Jackson and Bella, the answer is yes; Team Tidland has -- better late than never.